House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated in a meeting with her colleagues that her and President Biden’s two-track plan for passing both the bipartisan infrastructure legislation and the sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill may be sunk.
If this is true then I’m not sure if what to think at this point. Doesn’t seem likely that the progressives will cave. Also doesn’t seem like Pelosi would set this up and fracture her caucus on purpose given that the so-called moderate faction is so small. Maybe it’s an acknowledgment that the Senate’s rules have so warped our democracy that nothing else can be done. Though I think at this point keeping the Dems united in the face of today’s GOP is more important than passing these bills. Biden’s done a great job uniting the party and it would be death to see it all taken down by these self serving chaos agents posing as centrists. I say it’s all or nothing.
I see. It’s now an arbitrary deadline.
Democrats as a party just don’t really want our votes, is that it?
O’Donnell had David Plouffe and Jonathan Capehart on last night and they picture they drew is 180 degrees different than what I see on TPM today.
I will always go with the knowledge that Gloom-derived mouse-clicks from gloomy stories are always more effective ($$$$$-wise) than the less-paid-attention-to work in the trenches by the people in position to work and negotiate on the bill…even people like Sinema and Manchin…
I think the problem here is that progressives have ALWAYS caved in the past. However, in the past, progressives (almost) always lacked any leverage - which is why they caved. The moderates are so used to progressives caving that they expect it to happen even though the progressives now have leverage.
I think that the moderates have miscalculated. The only move left is for progressives to prove that they really are willing to walk away from the table.
Doing that will unleash a media firestorm about how Biden’s agenda is dead, presidency ruined, etc. And it might be right. But I also think it is the only way we get anything approximating the 3.5T that we need in reconciliation - so it is the right call.
This week will be a rollercoaster - but it is probably just the beginning.
Edit: some evidence backing up my supposition that moderates have (hopefully) miscalculated progressives’ resolve:
It’s a process…and, like everyone these days, we crave a different reality than the one the Democrats are presented with.
Given the coverage, the GOP as now constructed and the $$$$$$$$$$'s rewarded for every fucking Democrats-In-Disarray story that can be crammed down the country’s throat, I believe that the Democrats are doing all they can.
Democrats really want and need our votes in years like 2010 and 2014 (the last of which put McConnell in the driver’s seat with a 9-seat swing in the Senate and allowed the Merrick Garland fiasco). Let’s not set up 2022 to be a repeat by threatening to withhold our votes. The Blue Dogs don’t care about such threats.
“At that point, Democrats will be operating on the debt ceiling deadline instead of this arbitrary one set by some self-important House moderates.”
And those bought and paid for corporate shills will then kill everything as their revenge on behalf of their corporate masters.
This shit is OVER.
BURN. IT. ALL. DOWN.
Makes perfect sense that she believes the dumber elements of her caucus need to be shown that they will not get a cookie unless everyone gets cookies.
The GOP has its chance to kill the reconciliation bill, assert that the Democrats are against infrastructure and claim credit for goodies. All they have to do is vote for the "bi-partisan’ bill and with a few Democrats, it will pass. That is, unless the Democrats do succeed in crafting a reconciliation bill that all members can sign on to - which can happen with or without the bipartisan bill. (Yes, I know the bipartisan bill is leverage to get the reconciliation bill done - and is preferable, bur reconciliation will remain possible even if less likely)
kind of feels like when a model airplane lacks enough velocity and it does the stalling out routine, a few bobs to try to stay up, then slam into the ground, but here the question may be the scale, is it just these bills or is it the whole magilla that will slam into the ground? because the joints on this grand experiment are getting creaky
I have no clue, and fewer options to try to avoid the outcome
That why I like @khyber900’s posts.
Lotta hair on fire in here. Joe, Nancy and Chuck know what they’re doing. Patience.
Except no House R’s will vote for the infrastructure bill. Kevin is whipping against it. If Jaypal is also whipping her caucus against passage, then it is doomed. We are all supposed to be Dems but with all the damn factions in our party you’d never know it I am disgusted with the entire process, the media whores, and am very discouraged by the lack of Dem messaging on Republicans willingness to shut down the government and tank the global economy by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. What is more important here?
Would be suspicious that the boards had been infiltrated by MAGA if there wasn’t gnashing of teeth and wailing.
Meanwhile, Manchin, Sinema, and Gottheimer are cashing corporate checks.
The people who do monstrous things (like cheer on the depravity of Team Trump and the GOP) are all mild-mannered, meek little men who get paychecks from working in sociopathic organizations like FOX.
People persist in looking at people individually and personally, instead of the groups and organizations to which they belong
If we could get over that, a lot of the Trump/GOP Bluster and lying would not enervate us so much.
This is vital for any nontrivial negotiation, whether it’s buying a house or car, taking a new job, whatever. If you’re not willing to walk away, and the other side knows it, you’re going to get a bad deal.
OT: I need some cheering up this morning.